Traffic grinds to a halt as a smoky brush fire jumps the highway and closes one of the main traffic arteries on the Staten Island borough of New York, Monday, April 9, 2012. Over 100 firefighters battled the blaze that started in Great Kills Park. Photo: Staten Island Advance, Jan Somma-Hammel / AP

New York - Strong winds and dry air continued to make for a dangerous combination on Long Island Monday night as Suffolk County officials coordinated efforts with state authorities and the National Guard.

The situation on Long Island has showed no signs of slowing down and officials said darkness will make fighting the fire even more difficult. More than 200 homes have no power and the fire has prompted road closures and caused interruptions to LIRR trains.

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Fires also continued to burn in Ridge and Manorville Monday evening.

Ten homes in the Riverhead area also suffered fire damage and firefighters were dispatched to bring those fires under control, officials said. One commercial building in the area was destroyed.

Meanwhile, a five-alarm fire continued to burn on Staten Island in the area of the old Fresh Kills landfill.

Firefighters said that the fire would continue to burn until the winds, which featured gusts of 45-60 mph, die down, 1010 WINS’ Glenn Schuck reported. There have been no injuries or homes threatened in that area.

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Apr 10, 2012 at 12:23 AMALLAN Says:

FDNY resources were coming across the VZ bridge in large numbers at 3am. These were companies from different parts of Brooklyn. The dry weather , low humitity and wind made this the perfect storm. As of this posting parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island smell from smoke. There were some injuries to FD members out east in Suffolk County where brush fires rage. Please remember all of those who put their lives on the line to protect us everyday.